The pre-ceremony based on my ideal timeline for a photography friendly wedding day includes shooting the details, getting ready photos of the bride & groom, first look, bride & groom photos, bridal party, & family formals. Just a side note here, you don’t have to do things in this order or even before the ceremony, the times will stay about the same as far as how long each event takes to photograph so you can rearrange this to make it fit perfectly for your wedding vision, this is just my recommended timeline based off of past experience & feedback from brides, flow of the day, & a BONUS… this particular order will also allow you to get to your reception early WOOHOO!!!
If you follow this timeline you will literally walk down the aisle with your now HUSBAND, take about 30 min of husband & wife portraits & then go to your cocktail hour or reception! YES its fabulous & brides LOVE being able to be a part of their cocktail hour & spend more time with their guests & lets be honest… get some food on those empty tummies that have been grumbling all day!
The times listed below are minimum times, you can always add on extra time if you want more family photos or more dancing shots, if you have a large bridal party, long ceremony, extra time to account for travel to & from multiple locations, more bride & groom portrait time, or you have a lot of details & you want more photos of those items.
The timeline below is based off of an 8 hr wedding with 2 photographers & everyone getting ready at the same location which is the venue/ceremony site. If you are getting ready somewhere other than the venue site, you will want to add extra time to travel (travel time plus buffer for traffic/accidents on the road, parking, walking time to getting ready site). Depending on where you live to park & walk to the getting ready site itself could take 20 minutes or more especially in downtown Charleston. I always recommend that the bride & groom get ready at the same location & at the venue site if possible to limit travel time & possibly getting behind schedule due to unforeseen traffic or parking issues.
You will see some items listed below as simultaneously, which means I would be photographing something while my husband is photographing another at the same time.
With this timeline we arrive at the getting ready site 4 hours & 30 min before the ceremony start time.
Alright friend, that is the pre-ceremony timeline! As you can see it is jam packed with photo opportunities! The best thing is you knock out the majority of your must have shots at the beginning of the day so that after the ceremony you can relax & enjoy the party! This outline has served many brides on their wedding day & we hope it is helpful for you as well! Thanks for joining us for this week’s “Timeline Talk” & remember to hang out with us again in 2 weeks as we dive into the ceremony & post ceremony timeline!!!
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